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Taira Mū
Taira Mū (Mū Taira, Taira no Mū) is a bodhisattva and one of the few remaining members of the ancient Taira clan (平氏一族, Taira Ichizoku), who mercilessly held the reins over Japan during much of the Heian period. It wasn't until he was around eleven years old that he was adopted into the Hattori clan, since then he has served the Hattori loyally and is counted as a cousin in the Hattori family. Character First Name Mū Character Last Name Taira Nickname (Optional) Guardian of the Temple "Shinden no Shugo-Sha", Man Closest to God "Otoko wa Kami ni Mottomo Chikai", Grand Adviser "Sōdai Komon", Honored Cousin "Meiyo Itoko" by members of the Hattori clan. Age 20 Date of Birth September 9th Gender Male Ethnicity Japanese Height 5'9" Weight 158lbs Blood Type B+ Occupation Tsubagakure Emissary/Ambassador, Strategist of the Hattori clan Scars/Tattoos A bindi or forehead decoration in the form of a red dot applied to the center of Mū's forehead which further allows him to retain his energy or cosmos and strengthen his concentration. The bindi also represents the third eye and protects against demonic forces and bad luck. Affiliation Tsubagakure no Sato, Hattori clan Relationship Status Single Personality Mū can be best described as someone set on a higher, transcendant path. He was surrounded by suffering at an early age and always existed somewhere between the spiritual and physical world; because of this he is largely detached from most other Humans and always has been. Mū chooses not to avidly pursue buddhahood despite being a bodhisvatta, because he feels as though his personal mission is to mete out judgment where evil thrives. Mū also seeks to better understand Humanity and its inherent conditions before ascending to a more fulfilling path; how can a buddha not understand those he seeks to teach? Despite this, he realizes that he is Human, but sometimes needs to be reminded by members of the Hattori family. Mū has the best interests of the Hattori clan in his mind and works to further its progression and prosperity in the form of Tsubagakure no Sato. He's a fair-minded judge when he needs to be, but also a cunning bureaucrat. He doesn't allow others to bother him and there are very few who could even come close to doing so. At his core, he has a good heart but it's somewhat bound to the Hattori clan - something he's trying to break free of in order to open himself up to and deepen his compassion for all things and not only those he is sworn to preserve and protect. Behaviour Mū is pacficistic by nature and will only act in the face of great evil. He is never the person who requests a spar with another member of Tsubagakure or anyone for that matter and will only accept a challenge in order to teach and guide those who sought him out or if he feels that through sparring he can understand mankind better. When he isn't serving as consulate to Tsubagakure or the Hattori thereof, he is spending most of his time in profound meditation, something he values highly and practices rigidly in order to further enlighten an already enlightened being. One thing the villagers will notice is how polite and diplomatic his approach is to the court though he can be merciless to those who commit or are sworn to evil. The emoticon (--_--) commonly used on PlayStation Home by Mū expresses how his eyes are closed, but his third eye is wide open, allowing him to see into the very fiber of one's being where there is only truth and an underlying, very real reality. Clan/Bloodline Taira clan (平氏一族, Taira Ichizoku) Techniques Element One Light Element Two Spirit Weapon of Choice Tessen (Weaponized Folding Fan) Weapon Inventory Juzu (Buddhist prayer beads), they are used by Mū to count down everytime a mantra is recited, however, they are also utilized as a weapon. For every bead an evil soul is sealed upon being vanquished, which can later be used with Mū's techniques or even taijutsu. Jufu Talismans Paper tags imbued with the user's own spiritual power channeled to the talismans in the form of sutras. Mū is able to use a wide array of different Jufu Talismans with a variety of effects, though they are commonly used to seal, free or vanquish evil. x24 Kunai A Japanese tool and weapon, possibly derived from the masonry trowel, used as a weapon by ninja. Mū uses the Kunai for mid-ranged precision fighting or for close-quartered combat if mid-ranged combat isn't an option. Allies Hattori clan, Mitsunari clan Enemies Minamoto clan (源一族, Minamoto Ichizoku) Background Information Childhood Mū was born into a farming family living in the rural areas of Ise Province. In his youth, he was a precocious and unusually detached boy. Initially this concerned his parents named Zenchiro and Kayoko, so they decided to bring their one and only son to the local vihara or monastery. It was here that he was first discovered as destined to become a great holy man and his parents were so proud. The reason he was so disconnected to the physical world was because from the very beginning he inhabited the realm between life and death and was in touch with communal spirits of the land. It was also around that time that the Abbot, named Matsuda Shingen, of the vihara offered to take Mū in, in order to guide him on that path and his parents happily did so. This had only lasted for three years as the vihara was attacked by a band of Yōkai, drawn to Mū's natural affinity to the Reikai or "Spiritual World". Mū managed to survive the attack and annihilated the invading Yōkai, but it was not by his own hand... rather it was by a base impulse and the incident traumatized him. Mū, though surrounded by lost souls/suffering spirits had never witnessed death itself until that point and resulted in asking many questions that he could not yet answer. He resolved to return to his family's farm and there he remained for the next couple of years. He lived life peacefully, often in meditation and it wasn't until the Hattori family arrived at the doorstep of his home that all this would change. He was beginning to understand impermanence or mujō present in all things. The Hattori family had been traveling for days prior all the way from Echigo province and needed a place to stay before returning to Iga Province. Zenchiro and Kayoko both welcomed them into their home and provided them with food and shelter. Hattori Akar challenged the eleven year old Mū, who had been coordinating shogi pieces, to a match and was soundly defeated. This had of course, piqued the Hattori brothers' interest but before more could be said on the matter, the third brother, Hattori Haro caught wind of encroaching bandits. While the second brother, Hattori Taro, readily prepared to utterly destroy these bandits, Mū had a better idea. He knew of the trends of the bandit horde since they visited often and they would always take over the farmhouse for however long it took until their men were nourished, but before, Mū didn't have manpower - now he had a few highly trained shinobi. Under Mū's coordination his parents and the Hattori fled to the surrounding countryside before the bandits arrived. When they showed up, there was no one there to grovel at their feet... just a fully adorned set of tables and plenty of rice. As Mū predicted they settled down regardless of the presence of the farmers and once they were all bloated and exhausted, Mū signaled a counteroffensive and the Hattori made their move. One-by-one the bandits were being disarmed with not a single scratch on the attackers. The following day, after the bandits' had woken up stripped of all their armor and equipment, fleeing for their lives, Mū's parents were approached by Akar because the Hattori family were interested in adopting their child. Since then, Mū was treated as a blood-relative by the Hattori family and overtime he was taught ninpō and the martial arts. Adolescence Mū's teenage life was a mix of progression and setbacks. It can be characterized as the period of time when he developed his skills as a shinobi of the Hattori clan but also as a time when his spirituality really began to develop. Mū went on many assignments issued by the Danchō of Tsubagakure alongside his clan because it was a time of war for the eight villages of the era. Most of Mū's skills or lack thereof were only ever validated while out on these assignments and he had to commit many terrible acts that the present-day Mū would not have so readily commited. These assignments resulted in much suffering because now he wasn't only experiencing it but was the cause of it. It got so bad that around the age of thirteen he couldn't quite show any emotions or express himself; he became apathetic; a tool of these times of war; what was certain was that he was unhappy and could never hold onto happiness long enough. This inevitably led up to the Hattori family funding Mū's spiritual journey or pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Nepal and India, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. This journey consisted of many spiritual transformations; so much so that Mū practiced pacifism or nonviolence. It was in a small village called Sankaram that a Yogi had approached Mū and said with a smile, "Do not frown, child. I see Buddha in you and from him a wholesome existence." For a week he meditated and fasted with the man to further his awareness of the Buddha; the Dharma. His encounters would not end there and all he witnessed and all that was expressed to him was absorbed by him and he became fuller as a result. From the age of 14-19, Mū remained in Southeastern Asia, being introduced to many different cultures and having the opportunity to meet with as well as meditate with spiritual leaders all throughout. They all observed how bright he was and expressed that visible "light" that radiated from him; with every different spiritual guide he acquired some new knowledge. Eventually however, Mū decided to return to Tsubagakure, but this time would make his stance on nonviolence be known. Present-day Upon returning to Tsubagakure Mū could essentially "feel" how different the village itself was likely due to the efforts of a newer generation - now adults. There was little war and infighting within Tsubagakure but suffering was present everywhere. It was part of the reason why even after all those years he spent in India, Mū decided to stay in Tsubagakure of all places. He was welcomed back into the village and the Hattori clan very warmly by his cousins and extended family. It was on the day of his return that a radiant light really began to enfold Mū; an expression of all the progress he made on this ongoing spiritual journey. Initially he was reluctant about becoming the clan's Chief Adviser, but in a way he could channel his own teachings and learn more closely of mankind since he would be interacting with them on a daily basis, so he accepted the offer and has since served the Hattori clan dutifully. Though his path had been "tested" more than once since his return to Tsubagakure, nothing has required him to unleash his latent abilities - and he uses these times of limited peace to further his selfless love for and acceptance of humanity.